A Peabody maintenance subsidiary has been fined £400,000 after an employee died from inhaling toxic vapours from flooring adhesive.
Darren Nevill was working for Ealing-based Connect Property Services Ltd laying a vinyl bathroom floor at a property in Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, on 9 December 2020 when he lost consciousness and collapsed, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said.
The watchdog’s investigation found that the 38-year-old had been using an adhesive containing high levels of dichloromethane (DCM), which the HSE described as “a highly volatile solvent”.
The agency said small volumes of the glue will give off large amounts of colourless, low-odour vapour, even at room temperature.
“On the day of his death, the hose to the pressurised glue canister became damaged, releasing a large amount of adhesive into the poorly ventilated bathroom,” the HSE said.
The investigation found he had three times the fatal concentration of DCM.
Prosecutor Jon Mack said: “HSE scientists calculated that the statutory 15-minute exposure limit for DCM would have been reached within 2-13 seconds, and the final concentration in the bathroom at the time of Mr Nevill’s death would have been 84.5 times the exposure limit.”
The HSE said Connect Property Services Ltd had “failed to take appropriate precautions” to ensure substances hazardous to health are not used when safer alternatives are available.
HSE guidance recommends avoiding the use of DCM-based products whenever “reasonably practicable, by using suitable and safer alternative products or methods”.
It says: “DCM-based products should only be used in well-ventilated areas, to prevent the build-up of vapour.
“Examples of poorly ventilated areas can include bathrooms, cellars, stairwells and sheeted enclosures.”
According to the HSE, Connect Property Services pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 at Stevenage Magistrates Court on 26 January.
The firm – part of the Peabody Group – was fined £400,000 and ordered to pay £9,676.81 costs and a £190 victim surcharge, the HSE added.
HSE inspector Rauf Ahmed said: “Our thoughts are with the family of Mr Nevill, who was just setting out on his career in construction.
“He should have returned home safely to his family at the end of his working day but, because of the failings of Connect Property Services Ltd, he did not.”
The firm’s latest accounts, for the year ending 31 March 2025, showed it had set aside £400,000 in provisions ahead of the hearing.
The accounts said: “In December 2020, Connect Property Services experienced a tragic incident undertaking a repair in a resident’s home. This tragic event resulted in [a] significant review of operations.”
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Nicola Harley